Are we, as some might say, motivated by a desire to save our off-spring?
Must there always be some sort of intrinsic reward for doing good?
Mr. Otis once said, "That having integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching." If this is so, and no one knows when we have done good, would you still do good?
"Delayed reciprocal altruism", seems like a gamble - back to game theory, any way. Does this seem to make sense to you. That is that we act out of a desire to have what we have done being done to us?
Are we ever being truly "selfless" when committing an act of altruism?
1.Yes, I believe that we are motivated by a desire to save our off-spring. Few years ago, I read an article where a mother lifted a car when her baby was in danger. When asked to lift the car afterward, she couldn't lift it. Example like this shows that people are motivated by a desire to save our off-spring. Although I am not a parent yet, I would definitely save my child. It is a must, not an option
2. Yes, I believe that there always is a some sort of intrinsic reward for doing good. There is a neurochemical reward because we feel good after doing a community service. I always feel good when I help out other people. To be honest, I sometimes feel superior and that is also considered as an intrinsic reward. In my opinion, even Mother Theresa looked for intrinsic reward when she engaged in helping to solve poverty in the world.
3. I don't think I would do good when no one is watching. Part of the reason why I participated in volunteer service is for college application. If colleges didn't see my community service, I don't think I would have participated in as much community service as I have done in the past few years. I agree with Mr.Otis in that having integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching; however, I don't think many people are like that. Even a kid I know who got into Cornell after receiving various community service awards confessed that the community service was for getting the acceptance letter.
4. I think that we act out of a desire to have what we have done being done to us. Kim Bum is a famous Korean actor. When he was young, his family didn't make a lot of money and received help from the government. Now, Kim Bum is making a lot of money acting and he has been donating significant amount of money to orphanage and to the people that are living under the poverty line.
5. I don't think that we are being truly selfless when committing an act of altruism. As mentioned above, there is a neurochemical reward. Moreover, by engaging in altruism, people can also expect social rewards such as a badge.
Module 23
Describe the ideal figure for a woman to have. For a man.
Ideal woman should be skinny, with a pretty face. Her bodies also need to be tight and firm.
Ideal man should be tall, masculine, and have a very thick voice.
Has our notion of the “perfect body” changed since, say fifty-years ago?
I think the notion of the “perfect body” changed since fifty years ago. One of the primary reasons is due to the plastic surgery. Women and men can now shape their looks. Many women in Korea can now have pointed nose and a breast surgery.
Would you say that more people are getting fatter in Korea than are getting fatter in America? Explain.
I don’t think people in Korea are getting fatter than people in America. I think the primary reason is the diet. Although more and more people are eating westernized food, they always intake Korean food. Compared to the western food, Korean food isn’t as heavy.
Part II (for homework)
Read pp. 362-370 of your text, and answer the following questions
Explain why it is so challenging for people that are already over-weight to lose their weight.
Once the number of fat cells increases, they never decrease. People’s body weight thermostats are set to maintain the body weight at a higher range than average range. When they lose weight, their hunger increases; however, metabolism decreases.
What is the significance of leptin for weight loss?
Leptin causes people to become more active, eat less. As a result, people lose weight.
Explain why we now know that environment is more important to obesity than is genetics.
People become obese because they are not motivated to lose weight and eat a lot.. This may result from developing guilt and shame of not looking like the models present in ads and television.
Provide some advice to a friend that is trying to lose weight. Provide at least five pieces of advice.
Reduce the amount of time spent in front of the TV: This becomes even worse when people eat chips with it.
Don’t starve all day. You will likely eat a lot at once. This eating habit slows down the metabolism rate
Set realistic goals: don’t plan to lose 20 kg in a week. It’s not happening
Avoid binge drinking and eating: people who restrict eating and drinking can feel the urge to eat a lot and then binge
Say away from tempting foods
Module 24: Sexual Motivation Read pp. 376-383, starting with “Adolescent Sexuality”
In terms of culture, why do you suppose that the experience of teen-age intercourse (see pp. 376-7) is so much lower for Asian and Middle Eastern youth?
In Asian and Middle Eastern countries, sexual images are not common. In Korea, for example, music concerts cannot imply sexual intercourse. In the U.S., however, concerts implying sexual intercourse is permissible. I saw Jennifer Lopez’s concert and it was very explicitly sexual.
Explain why so few teen-agers practice safe-sex.
Ignorance: there are some teenagers who are not aware of menstrual cycle and its effects. They lack knowledge regarding birth control.
Minimal communication: There is little communication between the teenagers and their parents/peers/relatives
Alcohol use: Some teens are drunk when engaging in sexual activities
Media: Some television shows and posters contain sexual images.
“Understanding Sexual Orientation”
Does homosexual behavior always indicate homosexual orientation? Explain.
Homosexual behavior does not always indicate homosexual orientation People develop same-sex erotic attachments if their sex drive matures at the same time. Moreover, if they are segregation of gender also applies.
Provide three notions of biological causes of sexual orientation (see pp. 381-3)
Heterosexual men have a cell cluster that is larger than cell cluster of homosexual men.
Identical twins tend to be more homosexual than fraternal twins (gene influence)
Prenatal hormones: homosexual men have spatial abilities and fingerprint patterns like those of heterosexual women whereas homosexual women have more male-typical anatomy.
Why does it matter at all whether or not there is a physiological reason for sexual orientation? (Opinion question, but be sure p. 383)
I think it matters that there is a physiological reason for sexual orientation. If there is a physiological reason, homosexuality can be cured. Many homosexual people are having a hard time because the society looks down on them. If there is any physiological reason, we can help the homosexual people to become heterosexual.
What seems to be the major motivating factor(s) for people that are affected by an eating disorder?
I don't think there is for a single for eating disorders. Although concerns about weight and body shape play some role in eating disorders, there seems to be many actual causes for eating disorders. Some of the factors include culture, family pressures, emotional disorder, and personality disorders. Lastly, genetics and biologic factor also plays some roles. Besides these, in my opinion, media also plays a lot of role. When you turn on TV, you see all these beautiful slim people with great bodies. After looking at that and looking at one's mirror, one is likely to feel bad because he/she doesn't look good as the people on TV. I think all of these factors combined cause eating disorder.
What might be the social/political implications for there being a gay gene?
If it is proven that there is a gay gene, there will be many social and political implications. Socially, there will be many more researchers who will try to find a way to cure gay gene. Primary reason for this is that homosexual people are currently discriminated against both explicitly and implicitly. Moreover, homosexual people will now have a chance to say that they have no control for being gay. This might help reduce the discrimination when people realize that there is nothing that they can do. One poitical implication would be that homosexual people can now seek protection from government more actively. Although politicians are passing laws, not many laws have been so far. If it is proven that gay gene exists, politicians will be able to pass legislations easily and therefore homosexual people will be able to seek more help from the government.
1.Yes, I believe that we are motivated by a desire to save our off-spring. Few years ago, I read an article where a mother lifted a car when her baby was in danger. When asked to lift the car afterward, she couldn't lift it. Example like this shows that people are motivated by a desire to save our off-spring. Although I am not a parent yet, I would definitely save my child. It is a must, not an option
2. Yes, I believe that there always is a some sort of intrinsic reward for doing good. There is a neurochemical reward because we feel good after doing a community service. I always feel good when I help out other people. To be honest, I sometimes feel superior and that is also considered as an intrinsic reward. In my opinion, even Mother Theresa looked for intrinsic reward when she engaged in helping to solve poverty in the world.
3. I don't think I would do good when no one is watching. Part of the reason why I participated in volunteer service is for college application. If colleges didn't see my community service, I don't think I would have participated in as much community service as I have done in the past few years. I agree with Mr.Otis in that having integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching; however, I don't think many people are like that. Even a kid I know who got into Cornell after receiving various community service awards confessed that the community service was for getting the acceptance letter.
4. I think that we act out of a desire to have what we have done being done to us. Kim Bum is a famous Korean actor. When he was young, his family didn't make a lot of money and received help from the government. Now, Kim Bum is making a lot of money acting and he has been donating significant amount of money to orphanage and to the people that are living under the poverty line.
5. I don't think that we are being truly selfless when committing an act of altruism. As mentioned above, there is a neurochemical reward. Moreover, by engaging in altruism, people can also expect social rewards such as a badge.
Module 23
- Describe the ideal figure for a woman to have. For a man.
Ideal woman should be skinny, with a pretty face. Her bodies also need to be tight and firm.Ideal man should be tall, masculine, and have a very thick voice.
- Has our notion of the “perfect body” changed since, say fifty-years ago?
I think the notion of the “perfect body” changed since fifty years ago. One of the primary reasons is due to the plastic surgery. Women and men can now shape their looks. Many women in Korea can now have pointed nose and a breast surgery.- Would you say that more people are getting fatter in Korea than are getting fatter in America? Explain.
I don’t think people in Korea are getting fatter than people in America. I think the primary reason is the diet. Although more and more people are eating westernized food, they always intake Korean food. Compared to the western food, Korean food isn’t as heavy.Part II (for homework)
Read pp. 362-370 of your text, and answer the following questions
- Explain why it is so challenging for people that are already over-weight to lose their weight.
Once the number of fat cells increases, they never decrease. People’s body weight thermostats are set to maintain the body weight at a higher range than average range. When they lose weight, their hunger increases; however, metabolism decreases.- What is the significance of leptin for weight loss?
Leptin causes people to become more active, eat less. As a result, people lose weight.- Explain why we now know that environment is more important to obesity than is genetics.
People become obese because they are not motivated to lose weight and eat a lot.. This may result from developing guilt and shame of not looking like the models present in ads and television.Module 24: Sexual Motivation
Read pp. 376-383, starting with “Adolescent Sexuality”
- In terms of culture, why do you suppose that the experience of teen-age intercourse (see pp. 376-7) is so much lower for Asian and Middle Eastern youth?
In Asian and Middle Eastern countries, sexual images are not common. In Korea, for example, music concerts cannot imply sexual intercourse. In the U.S., however, concerts implying sexual intercourse is permissible. I saw Jennifer Lopez’s concert and it was very explicitly sexual.“Understanding Sexual Orientation”
- Does homosexual behavior always indicate homosexual orientation? Explain.
Homosexual behavior does not always indicate homosexual orientation People develop same-sex erotic attachments if their sex drive matures at the same time. Moreover, if they are segregation of gender also applies.- Provide three notions of biological causes of sexual orientation (see pp. 381-3)
- Heterosexual men have a cell cluster that is larger than cell cluster of homosexual men.
- Identical twins tend to be more homosexual than fraternal twins (gene influence)
- Prenatal hormones: homosexual men have spatial abilities and fingerprint patterns like those of heterosexual women whereas homosexual women have more male-typical anatomy.
- Why does it matter at all whether or not there is a physiological reason for sexual orientation? (Opinion question, but be sure p. 383)
I think it matters that there is a physiological reason for sexual orientation. If there is a physiological reason, homosexuality can be cured. Many homosexual people are having a hard time because the society looks down on them. If there is any physiological reason, we can help the homosexual people to become heterosexual.What seems to be the major motivating factor(s) for people that are affected by an eating disorder?
I don't think there is for a single for eating disorders. Although concerns about weight and body shape play some role in eating disorders, there seems to be many actual causes for eating disorders. Some of the factors include culture, family pressures, emotional disorder, and personality disorders. Lastly, genetics and biologic factor also plays some roles. Besides these, in my opinion, media also plays a lot of role. When you turn on TV, you see all these beautiful slim people with great bodies. After looking at that and looking at one's mirror, one is likely to feel bad because he/she doesn't look good as the people on TV. I think all of these factors combined cause eating disorder.
What might be the social/political implications for there being a gay gene?
If it is proven that there is a gay gene, there will be many social and political implications. Socially, there will be many more researchers who will try to find a way to cure gay gene. Primary reason for this is that homosexual people are currently discriminated against both explicitly and implicitly. Moreover, homosexual people will now have a chance to say that they have no control for being gay. This might help reduce the discrimination when people realize that there is nothing that they can do. One poitical implication would be that homosexual people can now seek protection from government more actively. Although politicians are passing laws, not many laws have been so far. If it is proven that gay gene exists, politicians will be able to pass legislations easily and therefore homosexual people will be able to seek more help from the government.